For Dr. Randall Urban, lessons learned as a child have helped guide and shape a career where people and science have been at the center of everything he’s done.
“I was a little fat kid growing up in Victoria, TX,” Urban said. “When that’s your reality you learn to be pretty go-with-the-flow and tolerant, because there’s always a little bullying going on.”
But the bullying didn’t hinder his ability to uncover and embrace his love of science.
After more than 20 years at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Urban is now vice president and research director of UTMB’s Institute for Translational Science. His work involves bringing scientists and medical professionals together to work on pressing public health issues and move new discoveries from the laboratory to the patient room.
Urban may work on the cutting edge now but it all that started in a warm classroom with an enthusiastic science teacher.
Fond memories of his time at a small, non-air-conditioned school called Mission Valley, which he attended through eighth grade, pour out as Urban breaks into a full-face smile recounting teachers like Mr. Odell—a man who didn’t let his own personal struggles with polio get in the way of educating and inspiring students like Urban.
“He was the one who made me really interested in science at that age,” he said. “He took me to science meetings and was one of those really great teachers that just encouraged me.”
Despite having such an immense interest in science, being a physician wasn’t something that initially occurred to him.
“I knew whatever I did, it was going to involve science, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else, and really didn’t care to,” he said. “What sent me down the path of becoming a doctor was the way I was good with people.”
Attributing his tolerant, mild but effective people and leadership skills partially to his formative early years, Urban is calm and modest as he speaks to his abilities.
“We all have our own talents,” he said. “I’m honestly pretty limited in that respect, I can’t sing or fix anything, but life is about finding what your unique gift is. When you discover the thing you’re better at than anyone else, it’s your job to pursue it.”
And that’s just what Urban did and continues to do.
“To me, being a doctor brought together these two things I really excelled at—science and people,” said the former student council president—a gig that allowed him to really flex his people skills early in life.
After obtaining a bachelor’s in biochemistry and then a medical degree from Texas A&M University, Urban went on to specialize in Internal Medicine and ultimately Endocrinology. Those decisions paved the way for him to eventually assume director roles first over the Fellowship program within the Division of Endocrinology at UTMB and then over the division as a whole.
From those roles, he then went on to found and direct UTMB’s Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Diabetes Center, before then serving as chair of the department of Internal Medicine. He was then promoted to vice dean of Clinical Research in the John Sealy School of Medicine and by September 2018 he found himself holding a new title—vice president and chief research officer for all of UTMB.
As he reflects on all these moves over the years, Urban can see how each step has naturally led to the next, and he credits one thing for his continued success—listening.
“There’s lots to do, whether it’s direct patient care, meeting with your teams,” he said. “If in each moment you just put everything aside and listen to what people have to say, you can prioritize and decide what’s most important in this moment today. I’m not saying you’ll agree with everything, but it’s so essential to regularly pause and take a step back as a leader to ensure you’re seeing the whole picture.”
In sharing all of these thoughts, Urban’s signature modesty shines through again as he empathically goes on to say that the idea of leadership gets overblown.
“Sure, it’s good to lead, but for those on the front lines and in other roles doing the day-to-day work, you have to pay great attention to detail,” he said. “That’s a whole different, valuable, essential skillset. You need both sets of people for a team to truly thrive.”
To date, his patient care career has consisted of treating diabetes patients and his research has explored notions of traumatic brain injury, long covid and the brain’s connection to the gut microbiome.
“My research with brain injury patients has led to some really great moments for me personally,” he said, recounting some rewarding breakthroughs he had the privilege of witnessing and effecting. “But the same can be said for my diabetes patients. All around I’ve just been fortunate to care for so many people across this community.”
In his current role, Urban is fortunate to call on all the many hats he’s worn over the years, to impact change and make a difference in a new way.
“My responsibilities now include bringing people together from a variety of institutions including Houston Methodist, Texas Southern University, and UH Clear Lake just to name a few,” he said. “We’re learning that the brilliant minds from all of these places can do so much more when they’re together, versus trying to move the marker individually. The way medicine is moving, academic medical centers have to think more big picture about the biomedical ecosystems supporting the larger efforts. It’s a lot of building bridges in pursuit of a common goal – the betterment of health and medicine – and it’s really exciting.”
While recounting the many phases of his career, Urban’s level of enthusiasm stayed solid and consistent.
“For me, science is not that hard,” he said. “It’s just a different language. I promise I’m not brilliant beyond imagination, nobody is. I’m just very fortunate to be able to continue exploring new things, while having the opportunity to bring groups together to tackle big, important problems.”